ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Got to go? Scientists figure out how you know
• Scientists prevent development of deafness in animals engineered to have Usher syndrome
• New drug is first to help patients with recurrent low-grade ovarian cancer
• Evaluating evolutionary rates could shed light into functions of uncharacterized genes
• Imaging acute ischemic stroke patients' brains did not lead to improved outcomes
• Rheumatoid arthritis prevented in mice: Infusions of regulatory T cells turn off autoimmune attack on joints
• Sunitinib benefits patients with renal cell carcinoma, study suggests
• Synthetic marijuana dangerous for kidneys
• Nucleus structure crucial to understanding diseases discovered
• Surveillance system can identify and track emerging infectious diseases
• Support needed for children losing parent at early age
• New insight on relationship between parents, preschoolers and obesity
• Implants make light work of fixing broken bones
• Histone modification controls development: Chemical tags on histones regulate gene activity
• U.S. Healthcare: New children’s electronic health record format announced
• Innovative water purification tablet for developing world
• Combining plasma screening with genetic screening better identifies diagnostic and therapeutic targets
• New study highlights Chagas disease as a growing health and socio-economic challenge
• Stress at work very unlikely to cause cancer
• 43 percent reduction in deaths from paracetamol due to smaller pack sizes
• Scientists find key to growth of 'bad' bacteria in inflammatory bowel disease
• HIV exploits a human cytokine in semen to promote its own transmission
• Frequent dialysis poses risks for kidney disease patients
• Fruits and vegetables may help protect the kidneys
• In the brain, broken down 'motors' cause anxiety
• Some stroke patients whose life support is withdrawn may have achieved a less-than-ideal but acceptable recovery
• Almost 8 percent of US stroke survivors may have suicidal thoughts
• Southern diet could raise your risk of stroke
• Study identifies liver gene that regulates cholesterol and fat blood levels
• New compound protects heart cells during and after attack, animal study suggests
• Type 1 diabetes cured in dogs, study suggests
• New technology may help doctors monitor concussions, aging, and neurological function
• Social media may be useful in prevention of HIV, STDs

Got to go? Scientists figure out how you know Posted: 08 Feb 2013 03:28 PM PST Help is on the way for overactive bladder or incontinence. According to new research the epithelium, a layer of cells lining the bladder's surface, senses bladder fullness through proteins called integrins. As the bladder becomes full, the epithelium stretches and becomes thinner, activating the integrins, which sends information to nerves and other cells. This research may help design drugs that target this mechanism to treat incontinence and overactive bladder.

Scientists prevent development of deafness in animals engineered to have Usher syndrome Posted: 08 Feb 2013 12:28 PM PST Most cases of congenital deafness are due to a mutation in a gene that is required for normal development of the sensory hair cells in the inner ear that are responsible for detecting sound. To cure deafness caused by such mutations, the expression of the gene must be corrected, a feat that has been elusive until recently.

New drug is first to help patients with recurrent low-grade ovarian cancer Posted: 08 Feb 2013 12:27 PM PST Low-grade serous ovarian cancer is less common and aggressive than the high-grade variety, yet exceptionally difficult to treat when frontline therapy fails.

Evaluating evolutionary rates could shed light into functions of uncharacterized genes Posted: 08 Feb 2013 09:47 AM PST Genes that have roles in the same biological pathways change their rate of evolution in parallel, a finding that could be used to discover their functions, said a researcher. Humans have nearly 21,000 genes that make as many proteins, but the functions of most of those genes have not been fully determined.

Imaging acute ischemic stroke patients' brains did not lead to improved outcomes Posted: 08 Feb 2013 09:47 AM PST The use of advanced imaging shortly after the onset of acute stroke failed to identify a subgroup of patients who could benefit from a clot-removal procedure, a study has found.

Rheumatoid arthritis prevented in mice: Infusions of regulatory T cells turn off autoimmune attack on joints Posted: 08 Feb 2013 09:47 AM PST Scientists have demonstrated a new strategy for treating autoimmune disease that successfully blocked the development of rheumatoid arthritis in a mouse model. They say it holds promise for improved treatment of arthritis and other autoimmune disorders in people.

Sunitinib benefits patients with renal cell carcinoma, study suggests Posted: 08 Feb 2013 09:46 AM PST Findings from clinical trial patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma, a common kidney cancer, show they did not have accelerated tumor growth after treatment with sunitinib, in contrast to some study results in animals.

Synthetic marijuana dangerous for kidneys Posted: 08 Feb 2013 09:45 AM PST Nephrologists have reported for the first time in medical literature cases of acute kidney injury directly linked with synthetic marijuana use.

Nucleus structure crucial to understanding diseases discovered Posted: 08 Feb 2013 08:02 AM PST Scientists from Singapore and Germany have identified that the proteins lamin A and lamin B receptor are essential for holding silent genes in their correct position at the edge of the nucleus, in the form of heterochromatin . A deviation from their normal position will cause the genes to malfunction, leading to heart failure, vascular disease and muscle wasting.

Surveillance system can identify and track emerging infectious diseases Posted: 08 Feb 2013 08:02 AM PST A team of researchers developed a method to identify the cause of infectious disease outbreaks based on online reports about the symptoms, the season, and the ratio of cases to fatalities. Using data from the Internet outbreak reporting system ProMED-mail, the researchers applied this method to more than 100 outbreaks of encephalitis in South Asia, recently identified as an emerging infectious disease "hotspot," to determine which of 10 infectious diseases was causing symptoms of encephalitis.

Support needed for children losing parent at early age Posted: 08 Feb 2013 08:02 AM PST A study exploring the impact of early parental death has revealed the long-term damage and suffering that can be experienced by individuals in adult life if appropriate levels of support are not provided at the time of bereavement.

New insight on relationship between parents, preschoolers and obesity Posted: 08 Feb 2013 08:00 AM PST While sugary drinks, lack of exercise and genetics contribute to a growing number of overweight American children, new research reveals how a mom's eating habits and behavior at the dinner table can influence her preschooler's obesity risk.

Implants make light work of fixing broken bones Posted: 08 Feb 2013 07:58 AM PST Artificial bone, created using stem cells and a new lightweight plastic, could soon be used to heal shattered limbs. The use of bone stem cells combined with a degradable rigid material that inserts into broken bones encourages real bone to re-grow. Researchers have developed the material with a honeycomb scaffold structure that allows blood to flow through it, enabling stem cells from the patient's bone marrow to attach to the material and grow new bone. Over time, the plastic slowly degrades as the implant is replaced by newly grown bone.

Histone modification controls development: Chemical tags on histones regulate gene activity Posted: 08 Feb 2013 07:57 AM PST Every gene in the nucleus of an animal or plant cell is packaged into a beads-on-a-string like structure called nucleosomes: the DNA of the gene forms the string and a complex of proteins called histones forms the beads around which the DNA is wrapped. Scientists have now established that adding chemical tags on histones is critical for regulating gene activity during animal development. Studies over the past two decades revealed that many proteins that control the activity of genes are enzymes that add small chemical tags on histone proteins but also on a variety of other proteins. With their studies the researchers have now shown that it is the tags on the histones that control if genes are active or inactive.

U.S. Healthcare: New children’s electronic health record format announced Posted: 08 Feb 2013 07:53 AM PST Many existing EHR systems are not tailored to capture or process health information about children. The new format allows for child-specific data elements.

Innovative water purification tablet for developing world Posted: 08 Feb 2013 07:53 AM PST Scientists have invented a simple ceramic water purification tablet. Called MadiDrop, the tablet is impregnated with silver or copper nanoparticles. It can repeatedly disinfect water for up to six months simply by resting in a vessel where water is poured.

Combining plasma screening with genetic screening better identifies diagnostic and therapeutic targets Posted: 08 Feb 2013 07:53 AM PST New research shows that marrying genome-wide and proteome-wide screening helps determine susceptibility in a wide variety of diseases.

New study highlights Chagas disease as a growing health and socio-economic challenge Posted: 07 Feb 2013 04:22 PM PST A new report examines the global economic burden of Chagas disease. In the first study of its kind, researchers measured the health and economic impact of Chagas disease and found that the total economic burden of Chagas disease matches or exceeds that of many more well-known diseases such as rotavirus, Lyme disease and cervical cancer.

Stress at work very unlikely to cause cancer Posted: 07 Feb 2013 04:22 PM PST Work-related stress is not linked to the development of colorectal, lung, breast or prostate cancers, a new study suggests.

43 percent reduction in deaths from paracetamol due to smaller pack sizes Posted: 07 Feb 2013 04:22 PM PST The number of deaths and liver transplants due to paracetamol overdoses has significantly reduced thanks to UK legislation to make pack sizes smaller.

Scientists find key to growth of 'bad' bacteria in inflammatory bowel disease Posted: 07 Feb 2013 02:21 PM PST Scientists have long puzzled over why "bad" bacteria such as E. coli can thrive in the guts of those with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), causing serious diarrhea. Now researchers have discovered the answer -- one that may be the first step toward finding new and better treatments for IBD.

HIV exploits a human cytokine in semen to promote its own transmission Posted: 07 Feb 2013 02:20 PM PST A new report suggests that the concentration of one human cytokine, interleukin 7 (IL-7), in the semen of HIV-1-infected men may be a key determinant of the efficiency of HIV-1 transmission to an uninfected female partner. Scientists report that the increased IL-7 concentration in semen facilitates HIV transmission to cervical tissue ex vivo.

Frequent dialysis poses risks for kidney disease patients Posted: 07 Feb 2013 02:17 PM PST Compared with standard dialysis, frequent dialysis can cause complications related to repeated access to the blood.

Fruits and vegetables may help protect the kidneys Posted: 07 Feb 2013 02:17 PM PST Adding fruits and vegetables to the diet is an effective alternative to medication to reduce metabolic acidosis and kidney injury in late-stage chronic kidney disease. Metabolic acidosis is a common complication of kidney disease.

In the brain, broken down 'motors' cause anxiety Posted: 07 Feb 2013 10:15 AM PST When motors break down, getting where you want to go becomes a struggle. Problems arise in much the same way for critical brain receptors when the molecular motors they depend on fail to operate. Now, researchers have shown these broken motors induce stress and anxiety in mice. The discovery may point the way to new kinds of drugs to treat anxiety and other disorders.

Some stroke patients whose life support is withdrawn may have achieved a less-than-ideal but acceptable recovery Posted: 07 Feb 2013 10:15 AM PST Some patients whose life support ended after bleeding in the brain might have recovered some acceptable function if life support was continued. Greater patience and less pessimism may be needed, researchers suggest.

Almost 8 percent of US stroke survivors may have suicidal thoughts Posted: 07 Feb 2013 10:15 AM PST Stroke survivors are more likely to report recent suicidal thoughts or wish they were dead compared with individuals with previous heart attack, diabetes or cancer. Seven variables were important in predicting whether a person with stroke had recent suicidal thoughts: depression score, age, BMI, education level, socioeconomic status, gender and marital status.

Southern diet could raise your risk of stroke Posted: 07 Feb 2013 10:14 AM PST Eating lots of Southern cuisine is linked to increased stroke risk. A Southern-style diet includes fried foods, organ meats, sugary drinks and a lot of salt. African-Americans are five times more likely to eat Southern foods, which may help explain their higher stroke risk.

Study identifies liver gene that regulates cholesterol and fat blood levels Posted: 07 Feb 2013 10:14 AM PST Researchers have identified a microRNA liver gene, miR-27b, which regulates lipid (cholesterol or fat) levels in the blood. This regulator gene controls multiple genes involved in dyslipidemia—abnormal blood cholesterol levels that can contribute to heart disease.

New compound protects heart cells during and after attack, animal study suggests Posted: 07 Feb 2013 08:44 AM PST Using two different compounds they developed, scientists have been able to show in animal models that inhibiting a specific enzyme protects heart cells and surrounding tissue against serious damage from heart attacks. The compounds also protect against additional injury from restored blood flow after an attack, a process known as reperfusion.

Type 1 diabetes cured in dogs, study suggests Posted: 07 Feb 2013 08:44 AM PST Researchers have shown for the first time that it is possible to cure diabetes in large animals with a single session of gene therapy. After a single gene therapy session, the dogs recover their health and no longer show symptoms of the disease. In some cases, monitoring continued for over four years, with no recurrence of symptoms.

New technology may help doctors monitor concussions, aging, and neurological function Posted: 07 Feb 2013 06:31 AM PST Doctors track their patients' hand-eye coordination to monitor any neuromuscular deficits, but the tests used to track this kind of information may be subjective and qualitative. Researchers recently completed the first clinical study of a neuroassessment device they developed to quantitatively measure neuromuscular performance.

Social media may be useful in prevention of HIV, STDs Posted: 07 Feb 2013 06:30 AM PST Facebook and other social networking technologies be effective tools for preventing HIV infection among at-risk groups. African American and Latino men who have sex with men voluntarily used health-related Facebook groups to discuss such things as HIV prevention and to request HIV testing kits.

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